Author’s Note: Okay, troops. Here is the first part of the narrative’s prologue. I’ll post the remainder over the weekend. I’ve decided to do the multiple character/perspective setup for this project. Dan Wertz will be the main character once again, however, there will be points of view added from military, government and some other civilian characters to varying degrees.
Prologue: The Last Normal Day (Part I)
Secretary of Defense Christopher McAlister looked up from the folder in his hands at the short, balding man seated across from him.
“Anything else, Scott?” He asked. Scott Goldstein, the chief liaison between the US intelligence community and the Office of the Secretary of Defense nodded his head.
“Iran, Mr. Secretary.”
McAlister’s eyebrows raised a millimeter. That surprised him. Iran has been quiet lately. Maybe too quiet. He closed the folder labeled PRC and placed it on the desk. “What’s happening there?”
“CIA is hearing rumbles about the status of Iran’s Shahab-6 missile program. It could be farther along than we believed. There might be six or seven operational prototype rockets in existence now. Not two as we’ve thought.”
“Where did the Agency get that from?” Goldstein shrugged his shoulders.
“The DCI is not saying yet. It sounds like he wants to confirm this intel before revealing more. Also, he mentioned that the Iranians appear to have ramped up training for the crews of the new transport erector launchers they purchased from North Korea. Again, nothing solid, but whispers are beginning to reach Langley.”
“And we haven’t heard anything earlier?” McAlister asked.
“Nothing. This is the first time I’ve heard of it. I’ll start making inquiries later today. But-“ Goldstein hesitated.
“But what?”
“Iran has been behaving. Their economy is in terrible condition, and they’ve had to play the game. The UN is considering easing some of the sanctions, with our support. Tehran isn’t going to mess that up. I think the Agency is on a wild goose chase.”
“Then again, maybe not.” The Secretary smiled thinly. “You’re probably right, but I want to talk to the DNI. Iran’s behaving for now, but keep in mind the fact that they do have a few nuclear weapons stashed away. They don’t know we’re aware of it. We can’t be too careful when it comes to Tehran. ” That was an understatement, both men knew.
“And that’s all I’ve got today, Mr. Secretary. This concludes your daily intelligence briefing.” Goldstein smiled.
“Nice job, Scott. Thanks.” Goldstein gathered up the folders he’d brought in, placed them inside of a briefcase and took his leave from the SecDef’s spacious, well-appointed Pentagon office. Once the man had departed, McAlister rose from his desk, and looked out the window at the Potomac river and DC in the backdrop. Sunshine and cloudless blue skies dominated the scene.
It was a warm, sunny day in Washington, DC and the surrounding area. Although it was mid-September, the transition to autumn had yet to begin on the east coast of the United States. Summer appeared reluctant to release its grip. The daily high temperatures had averaged in the mid-80s from Boston south into the DC metro area for the past week. States farther south were seeing temperatures range into the 90s. Little relief was in sight for the upcoming week, however there were signs that the weekend could be an altogether different story.
This year’s hurricane season had been an unusually quiet one up to this point. The US mainland had not been threatened or affected by a hurricane or tropical storm. In fact, the small number of systems that managed to form up had all moved along a southern track which took them through the Caribbean south of Cuba and the Isle of Hispaniola before petering out along the Mexican and Central American coastlines. Now, the trend looked to be changing.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami was keeping a close watch on Tropical Storm Jerry as it approached the Leeward Islands. Early models had shown a greater than average chance of the storm increasing in strength over the next forty-eight hours, and an even greater chance of Jerry making landfall somewhere on the east coast of the US by Friday evening. An increasing number of eyes were watching the situation in the Caribbean with growing interest and anxiety.
Weather aside, America’s thoughts were on a variety of subjects as diverse as her citizenry. The Major League Baseball regular season was winding down and a pair of pennant races were heating up in the National League East and West divisions. The New York Yankees were powering their way through the tail end of the season. The defending World Series champs looked to be a good bet to repeat the feat in October. College football was in full swing as well, and the first week of the NFL season would wrap up that evening with a Monday Night matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears.
Outside of the United States, the rest of the world was enjoying a period of tentative calm. The final Russian troops would be leaving Ukraine by the end of the month. Talks were progressing between North Korea and the western powers over incentives and aid in exchange for the scrapping of the North’s nuclear arsenal. Kim Jong Un appeared eager, for once, to begin moving in the opposite direction of his father and bring North Korea into the world community. China’s recent economic downturn had temporarily stalled its regional ambitions, much to the delight of the PRC’s neighbors.
The Middle East was quiet for once. The central government in Iraq was having success in bringing fringe groups around to the idea of a brand-new constitution. Iran appeared unwilling to stoke the flames of discontent further with its neighbors or western powers. Rumors abounded that the nuclear weapons program had plateaued, and Iran’s scientists were facing a myriad of problematic issues that would have to be handled before production of the next batch of weapons could resume. US and Israeli intelligence services were certain that the Iranians already had three low-yield weapons in their arsenal. The world continued to keep a watchful eye on Iran. However, except for Israel and to a lesser degree, the United States and the Gulf States, the global community seemed content to adopt a live and let live policy. Now that Tehran had nuclear weapons and did not appear eager to lob them at Israel the situation was calming. The European Union was peeling away sanctions and the UN was not far behind.
The storm seemed to be settling on several fronts across the globe. In Washington DC, though, thick storm clouds were gathering.
The previous week, reporters from the Washington Post had broken a story that Secretary of Treasury Emily Jefferies was having an extra marital affair with the spouse of one of her deputies. Scandals such as these are frequent in government circles, even at the highest levels of the US government. As had frequently been said in the past, nobody does scandals better than the American media, and there is a large amount of truth in that claim. The American people love a scandalous affair, the juicier the better. This one certainly met the requirements for that.
Jefferies was an openly gay cabinet member. A self-proclaimed lifelong lesbian, she had had several high-profile lovers and partners before coming to Washington the previous year. The fact that she was accused of sleeping with the wife of Deputy Secretary of the Treasury William Ahern added a new element to the scandal.
Over the weekend, accusations had expanded to include claims of insider trading when Jefferies was the president of a large investment firm on Wall Street, as well as affairs with other staffers, some of them married. From the beginning, Jefferies vehemently denied the claims until Ahern and his wife held a press conference and verified the truthfulness of the report. Ahern went on to announce his immediate resignation from his post.
Earlier that morning, with Jefferies continuing to publicly deny the claims, rumors began circulating that Jefferies was resigning from her position. Many of Jefferies supporters and colleagues in Washington, including the President were scrambling for cover as the true scope of the scandal was became evident.
McAlister was reluctantly included in that group. The fifty-three-year-old former junior senator from Georgia was a colleague of Jefferies, not a supporter. The two had come on board the administration during the Great November Cabinet Shuffle, when four members of the President’s cabinet opted to leave government service within days of each other. He had gotten along with Jefferies well enough, and he respected her professional achievements and abilities. Izzo’s religious principles did not allow him to come to terms with her outspoken views on Gay Rights, however. And the way which she flaunted her sexuality much like a red cape in the hands of a matador. Even though Jeffries had been the darling of Washington, Alister never went to extremes to curry her favor, as so many other officials in town did.
While many of his current colleagues were preparing for damage control, Chris was diligently avoiding the scandal and going about his business. His efforts lasted until shortly before 1 PM when the White House Chief of Staff Frank Browne phoned him in his Pentagon office.
“How does your schedule tomorrow?” Browne asked, knowing full well what Izzo’s week looked like. This was how Browne worked. A consummate politician and Washington insider, the chief of staff was taking point on the Jefferies scandal. He was determined to insulate his boss thoroughly. When McAlister told him that Tuesday was a light day, Browne suggested he take the opportunity to get out of town for a day.
“I see that Tony Warner is going out to Nebraska for an inspection tour or something. Why not tag along?” General Tony Warner, USAF was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was, in fact, heading out to Offutt Air Force Base just outside of Omaha, Nebraska in the morning for a tour of Strategic Command’s headquarters. McAlister had known about it for a time and elected to go. He told Browne that he planned to stay in DC instead. There was a long pause before the chief of staff spoke again.
“Look, Chris, I think it’s in your best interests to be out of town tomorrow. Emily Jefferies is announcing her resignation in the morning and this town is going to be a zoo. The President believes, and I agree, it would be best for his senior cabinet members to remain inconspicuous for the next couple of days.” Izzo’s eyes narrowed. So, that was the prime reason for Browne’s suggestion. After a couple of seconds digesting Browne’s announcement, he found himself agreeing with the idea. It made sense.
“Where is the President going to be?” He asked.
“Camp David along with the Secretary of State. They’re going to hunker down for the day and figure out who to nominate for SecTreas. I’m staying in town to weather the storm here.”
“Well, I certainly don’t envy you.” McAlister chuckled. “And I haven’t been to Omaha in a long time. Okay, you’ve got it.”
“Thanks, Chris. Bring me back some steaks.” The line disconnected. Izzo hung the phone up and began rearranging his schedule for the next day.
The Final Days of America 